1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for collecting and recovering de-icing fluid that is sprayed onto an aircraft.
2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
The formation of ice on the wings of an airplane can reduce the lift and increase the drag by degrading the performance of the airfoil. Additionally, the ice may break away from the wing and be ingested by an engine, possibly causing a failure of the engine and endangering the safety of the passengers of the aircraft. To remove and prevent the build-up of ice on the wings, the skin of the wings can be sprayed with a fluid that has a low freezing point, such as a glycol. In cold climates the wings are typically sprayed at the airport before takeoff. The glycol forms a protective layer on the aircraft. The glycol has a low shear strength and allows the ice to be sheared from the wings.
Most of the glycol that is sprayed onto the wings falls off of the plane and flows into a drainage system which removes the de-icing fluid. An aircraft is typically sprayed with gallons of de-icing fluid that is used only one time. It would be desirable to provide a recovery system that can collect and recycle de-icing fluid sprayed onto an airplane so that the fluid can be reused. Recycling the de-icing fluid would decrease the cost of spraying the aircraft.
Glycol is generally considered a hazardous material that requires special handling and storage. For this reason, aircraft are typically sprayed with de-icing fluid at a remote location. Having to maneuver each airplane to the de-icing area requires valuable time which can disrupt airport scheduling. It would therefore be desirable to provide a portable de-icing fluid recovery system that can store hazardous material and be assembled at a location adjacent to the runway of an airport so that each aircraft can be readily sprayed with de-icing fluid.